Battle-HARDENED media mogul Rupert Murdoch was in Scotland this week to unveil a new £60million toy.

In typically bombastic style he claimed the state-of-the-art printing presses at the Eurocentral business park were the largest and fastest in the world.

While the 76-year-old didn't don a kilt or wear anything tartan he was keen to stress his admiration for all things Scottish - especially himself.

After eulogising about the brilliance of the Scots over the past 250 years he reminded the assembled throng his own grandfather had been a minister in the Free Church of Scotland before emigrating from Cruden Bay to Australia.

He said: "I have deep Scottish roots and I have great respect for the way Scots throughout history have so often led the world in technology and education."

Perhaps that Presbyterian background came in handy during Murdoch's dogged and unstinting pursuit of the Wall Street Journal earlier this year.

First Minister Alex Salmond was also part of the love-in declaring the investment was another clear marker of Scotland's international business standing.

He said: "This new state-of-the-art printing plant sends out the clear message that one of the world's largest media companies has absolute conviction in the future of print journalism."

With the boss of said media company standing next to him Mr Salmond was hardly likely to say anything else. And it was taken as read such topics as Kelvin Mackenzie's (English Sun columnist) love of all things Caledonian or the anti-SNP "noose" Sun front page on election day were not high on the "we love Scotland" agenda!

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